In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that solar irradiance in the British Isles reached up to 35% above the norm during the first half of May, while The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany each recorded irradiance levels around 25% above average.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

US-based software provider Solesca presents new ways of handling PV system unavailability and solar module degradation. Engineers have a key role to play in this evolution, ensuring more accurate and reliable energy predictions for solar projects.

To address the variability of renewable energy for a stable supply, 22 distinct types of flexibility options are found in 100% renewable energy systems research articles, categorized into power-to-X, energy storage, demand response, transmission and distribution grids, and curtailment.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) highlights the transformative potential of green hydrogen and hydrogen-derived ammonia for decarbonizing the maritime industry. According to its experts, hydrogen could be soon be used as a maritime fuel, as ongoing innovation is slated to make hydrogen storage and transportation more viable over time.

China installed a record 60 GW of new PV capacity in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in rooftop deployment ahead of updated grid-access rules, says Rystad Energy. It predicts that rooftop growth will continue, but new self-consumption mandates are reshaping regional development strategies and increasing project complexity.

Chinese battery giant CATL surged 12.55% on its Hong Kong trading debut after raising HKD 35.6 billion ($4.6 billion), marking the world’s largest listing in 2025. The offering drew strong demand from strategic and cornerstone investors, boosting CATL’s market capitalization to HKD 1.34 trillion.

The Swedish furniture giant began offering air-to-water heat pumps distributed by Svea Solar and manufactured by Sweden-based Aira.

New research from the Netherlands has shown that product-service-system business models applied to the PV business encourage the use of high-quality PV products and maximizing system lifespan. Their alleged connection with circular economy principles, however, was found to be weak, with financial considerations being prioritized by customers.

A national procurement round for energy storage systems, planned in the second half of the year, is at risk of lengthy delay just as the grid operator is being forced to curtail large volumes of excess clean electricity.

The Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) is tendering two proposed solar plants in the Jahra region of Kuwait.

Western Australian manufacturer Magellan Power has unveiled a new all-in-one residential energy storage system offering battery capacities from 9.6 kWh to 25 kWh and inverter capacities from 5 kW to 15 kW.

Germany installed 838.5 MW of solar in April as the PV market sharply contracted in the first four months of 2024, according to the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). Total installed capacity reached 104.9 GW by the end of April.

Italy installed 1.24 GW of new solar capacity in the first quarter, a 19% decline from the same period in 2024, according to renewables association Anie Rinnovabili. The slowdown highlights mounting headwinds in the country’s PV market.

Croatia’s renewable energy association says the country has now deployed more than 1 GW of solar. Speaking at the site of an ongoing 99 MW project development, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said the green energy transition is one of the government’s four strategic goals.

Researchers at the Delft University of Technology have developed new cerium-doped indium oxides for applications in heterojunction solar cells. A transparent conductive oxide built with the new compound has enabled a considerable increase in power conversion efficiency.

Italy’s Ecoprogetti has developed an automated photovoltaic recycling line that separates and recovers up to 100% of the aluminum, copper, glass, plastic and silicon in solar panels. It can process up to 60 panels per hour while using 40% less energy than other solutions on the market.

The Sunbox Industry product, aimed at the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, offers a modular, scalable, and intelligent solution, according to the manufacturer. It can be scaled from 100 kW/172 kWh to 3 MW/15 MWh.

Bluetti has now launched the Apex 300 portable power station, bringing a new scalable power solutions for home backup, travel, and off-grid living.

Researchers in Burkina Faso have assessed the technical feasibility of PV systems near base transceiver stations and have found that solar modules with “optimal” boron doping levels may better resist the electromagnetic field effects.

India’s Premier Energies and Taiwan’s Sino-American Silicon Products have signed a joint venture agreement that will see the development of a 2 GW solar wafer manufacturing plant in India.

Array Technologies has unveiled DuraTrack Hail XP, a ground-mount solar tracker engineered to withstand extreme hail and wind, featuring a 77-degree stow angle for added protection.

An international team of researchers has demonstrated a novel solvent process for pure and highly crystalline 2D perovskites, which they demonstrated in 2D/3D perovskite solar cells. A n-i-p champion perovskite solar cell had a power conversion efficiency of 25.9%, retaining 91% of the initial performance after 1,074 hours at 85 C using maximum power point tracking.

Canadian Solar says its net profit plunged nearly 92% in the first quarter of 2025 on falling margins, while China Energy Engineering Corp. (CEEC) says the Shanghai Stock Exchange has approved its targeted A-share issuance to raise up to CNY 15 billion (USD 2.09 billion) for energy projects.

pv magazine spoke with Garikoitz Sarriegi, senior project manager at Kiwa PI Berlin Ibérica, about the Reuters report published on Wednesday that devices susceptible to spying and sabotage had been found in inverters and batteries from China.

Trade group Swissolar has called for a national energy storage strategy to support the growing popularity of home solar-plus-battery systems in Switzerland.

New research from Spain has sought to understand if dimethyl ether and ternary mixtures of carbon dioxide, dimethyl ether and butane could represent an alternative to propane in heat pump systems. Their analysis has shown dimethyl ether could be the best alternative to R290, as it offers the highest coefficient of performance values for both cooling and heating, and avoids issues related to temperature glide.

Biwatt has unveiled a 155 kWh sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers.

Axpo has started remotely controlling a 2.5 MW hydrogen production facility (HPF) in Switzerland, while Statkraft says it will halt new green hydrogen projects amid market uncertainty.

Canadian Solar Infrastructure Fund says April output fell 10.2% below forecast across its Japan portfolio due to increased grid curtailments, especially on the island of Kyushu.